LSAT 144 | Section 1 | Reading Comprehension: Q3

RC Question 3 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: The author begins with the quote from Kotzebue…

DISCUSSION: Read lines 6-10 to understand the quote. The author implies that the quote was about Schoenberg, but then shocks us by revealing that it was about Beethoven, a composer who is now universally popular.

Therefore, this quote shows that popular opinion about a composer can change over time.

___________

1. The author actually disagrees with this quote. They speak favorably of Beethoven in lines 14-19.
2. The quote is about Beethoven, not Schoenberg. See lines 6-10.
3. The author never said Beethoven’s work was uneven in quality. Lines 11-19 suggest that the quote was only negative because in 1806 Beethoven’s music was new and shocking.
4. CORRECT. Yes. The author is using Beethoven to make an analogy about Schoenberg. Beethoven is popular now, but in 1806 many critics hated him wrote quotes like the one in lines 1-5. So maybe the same thing will happen for Schoenberg eventually.
5. Lines 11-12 say that Beethoven initially stirred controversy. So it sounds like many critics in 1806 disliked Beethoven.